


This Is What It Feels Like

by UnspokenConnection24



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, F/M, Feelings are revealed, Hurt Lydia Martin, Lydia is missing, Pack Mom Melissa McCall, Protective Stiles, Stydia, happy endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 19:42:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15444423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnspokenConnection24/pseuds/UnspokenConnection24
Summary: He had been wandering through the woods for quite some time, when he suddenly felt a pull in a certain direction. He couldn’t really grasp the feeling, but it was like an invisible string was pulling on him. And then he suddenly heard faint noises. He stopped dead in his tracks and tried to listen carefully, but it was gone.“Stiles!” She breathed out relieved and Stiles’ heart sank at the realisation that she was hurt pretty badly.





	This Is What It Feels Like

Stiles’ heart was beating a mile a minute as he ran out of his front door and jumped into his jeep. He turned the key, praying to god that the engine would come to live on the first try just this once. At first, nothing happened, but on the second try the engine roared to life and Stiles manoeuvred the car onto the empty street. The jeep’s headlights were the only light source in the otherwise dark night and Stiles was driving way over the speed limit but he couldn’t have cared less.

A few minutes ago Scott had called him, saying that Lydia was missing. She had stayed over at Allison’s and when the brunette had woken up in the middle of the night, Lydia had been gone. Allison had tried to call her, but the phone had been ringing in Lydia’s bag that was still there. All of her clothes were still there as well, which meant that Lydia was only in her pyjamas.

Allison had searched the whole house before allowing herself to panic and call Scott when she couldn’t find her anywhere. Scott had picked up at the second ring and immediately called Stiles after telling Allison he would pick her up in a few minutes.

Scott had told him to meet him at Allison’s, but just as he was about to turn onto her street, his phone rang.

“Did you find her?” Stiles couldn’t help but ask.

“No, but Scott picked up her scent and it leads to the Hale house! He is talking to Derek on the phone right now! Meet us there!” Allison said and Stiles heard his own panic reflected in the girl’s voice.

They hang up without saying goodbye, neither of them having time or energy to waste on being polite. Stiles cursed under his breath and turned the car around and went back in the direction he had come from. His house was closer to Derek’s than Allison’s and he was frustrated that he had wasted time.

He didn’t want to allow his mind to think about what could be happening to Lydia right now, but he couldn’t stop his reeling brain. Pictures of Lydia lying on the ground, bleeding, after the chimaera had attacked her flashed through his mind. He saw her lying in Eichen House, not moving and with empty eyes that were staring at the ceiling. He shook his head, attempting to clear his head, but it didn’t help.

When he had finally reached the woods, he rushed out of his car and ran towards the old Hale house. He didn’t think he had ever run this fast and his lungs were screaming at him to slow down but all he could think about was finding Lydia. He could rest when they had found her and she was safe at home.

“Stiles!” Allison exclaimed when she saw him, waiting for him in front of the house.

“Did you find her? Is she alright?” Stiles asked, panicking even more at the weird expression on Allison’s face. He could see that she was trying to find the right words to tell him something and fear suddenly consumed him. Tears were making their way down the girl’s cheeks and Stiles was terrified. He walked closer to her, grabbing her shoulders gently but firmly.

“Allison, you need to tell me what you know!” Stiles insisted and Allison nodded slowly, sniffling quietly.

“Derek and Scott are still out there, looking for her. But, but we heard her scream!” Stiles’ eyes grew wide as he tried to comprehend the new information. “I’m supposed to stay here in case she shows up!” Allison added quietly.

Stiles just nodded, raking his brain for something useful that he could do to help. He didn’t have any powers and it had never bothered him. But right now, he felt utterly helpless and he wished he had some kind of power that would help him find Lydia. He knew there was nothing he could do, but he couldn’t just stand around and do nothing.

He looked at Allison one more time before running into the woods, figuring that even though he wasn’t supernatural, he could still search the woods for her. Scott and Derek obviously had much better chances of finding her, but Stiles’ wouldn’t give up until they had found her. It was dangerous and stupid to run through the woods in the middle of the night, defenceless at that, especially knowing that there was obviously some kind of threat.

He prayed to god that Lydia had only screamed because she had found a dead body again and Stiles couldn’t believe that that was the most bearable outcome. He didn’t know what he was going to do if she was hurt, or worse… He pressed his hands to his face, trying to stop the negative thoughts from invading his mind, but it was impossible.

He had been wandering through the woods for quite some time, when he suddenly felt a pull in a certain direction. He couldn’t really grasp the feeling, but it was like an invisible string was pulling on him. And then he suddenly heard faint noises. He stopped dead in his tracks and tried to listen carefully, but it was gone. He kept walking in the direction he thought the noise had been coming from, making sure not to make too much noise to be able to listen to any sounds. Suddenly he heard quiet whimpering and Stiles heartbeat sped up.

He moved closer and closer, trying to make out any shapes in the dark woods. He saw a small figure cowering next to a tree, holding her side. Stiles immediately recognized Lydia and rushed over to her, making her jump.

“Stiles!” She breathed out relieved and Stiles’ heart sank at the realisation that she was hurt pretty badly. He kneeled down in front of her, taking her face in both of his hands and making sure she was still in one piece. Her eyes were glassy, her eyelids seemed to be incredibly heavy and Stiles could tell that she was in a lot of pain. He stroked her hair out of her face and made soothing noises, trying to calm both the strawberry blonde girl and himself.

“Shh, I’m here now! You’re going to be ok!” Stiles whispered, his voice full of worry and concern. “What happened?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“I… I don’t know! I just woke up here and I couldn’t move and my whole body hurt!” Lydia explained, stopping after each word to catch her breath.

“Ok, we will figure this out! I will take you to the Hale house ok?” Stiles asked, waiting for Lydia to agree. She nodded slowly, wincing in pain at even the small movement of her head.

He took out his phone, calling Scott to tell him that he had found Lydia and that he would bring her to the house.

“Since you obviously can’t walk I will carry you. I will be gentle but it’s probably still going to hurt when I pick you up!” Stiles said slowly, making sure Lydia understood even though her pain was surely clouding her mind.

“Ok!” Lydia just replied and Stiles took a deep breath before carefully pushing his arms under her body. Lydia winced and groaned but Stiles could tell that she was trying to stay quiet. He picked her up slowly, not wanting to cause any more pain than necessary and Lydia’s head fell against his chest. Her face was contorting in pain and Stiles wanted nothing more than to take her pain.

He walked as quickly as he could while still making sure to keep Lydia still. He was talking constantly, assuring Lydia that they had almost made it and that she was doing great. Even though Lydia was so small, his arms were getting heavy but there was no way he was letting go of her before they had reached the others.

He could feel Lydia’s head getting heavier against his chest and he knew that she was close to drifting into unconsciousness.

“Lydia, you have to stay awake! Just listen to my voice! Come on, please, stay awake!” Stiles kept ranting, trying to get her to listen. He didn’t know a lot about medicine but he knew that she needed to stay awake. Finally, after what felt like hours but had probably only been a few minutes, the two reached the house. Scott and Derek were already waiting for them and Scott immediately rushed over to them.

“Let’s get her inside!” Derek said, and they made their way inside. Allison had already lit all the candles she could find and built a make shift bed out of coats and pillows she had found. Stiles laid Lydia down as gently as he could, but didn’t move away from her. The pain she was feeling was written all over her face and Stiles could almost feel her pain from looking at her, but at least she was still awake.

Lydia’s hand started moving, searching for Stiles’ hand and the second he noticed, he laced their fingers together. He raised their intertwined hands to his face, pressing soft kisses to the back of her hand. His eyes wandered over to Lydia’s waist and his heart almost stopped. The white pyjama she was wearing was covered in blood and the soaked material was clinging to her body. Stiles looked up at Lydia, the shock and fear of losing her clearly showing in his eyes.

He had known that she was hurt, but the amount of blood Lydia was covered in was worse than anything he had imagined. Lydia managed a small smile, trying to communicate that she would be fine. Stiles pulled his gaze from hers and carefully lifted her top a little to get a look at the wound that he was sure to find.

Three huge and deep claw marks were covering Lydia’s side and stomach, bleeding heavily and Stiles shot an anxious look at Scott and Derek. The two of them were looking over Stiles’ shoulder and stared at the wound with concern. He was used to Scott being worried, but he didn’t think he had ever seen a worried look on Derek and seeing his concerned expression made shivers of fear run down Stiles’ back. This was bad.

“We have to get her to the hospital! My mum is on the night shift, I will call her!” Scott said, still looking at the wound. Scott pulled out his phone to inform Melissa that they were coming and Allison went outside to start the car. Derek bent down next to Stiles and took Lydia’s hand out of Stiles’. He was confused for a few seconds but then he saw black liquid flowing from Lydia’s to Derek’s veins and Stiles nodded at him, thankful that he was taking some of Lydia’s pain.

A little sigh of relief escaped Lydia’s lips and she closed her eyes slowly.

“No, no, Lydia! You need to stay awake!” Stiles panicked.

Derek picked her up and she opened her eyes again slowly, but every time she blinked her eyes stayed closed a fraction of a second longer and each time Stiles was relieved when her eyes opened for at least a second in between the blinks. Derek carried the almost unconscious girl to Scott’s car and got into the back seat. Derek placed Lydia next to Stiles, her head resting in his lap. The second the doors were closed, Scott drove off towards the hospital.

Much to Stiles’ relief Lydia’s eyes were still open, if only barely. He could see how much effort it was causing her to focus on him and he stroked her hair gently, fighting back the fear that was threatening to consume him. He couldn’t lose her, he just couldn’t. He had told her that he would go out of his mind if she died, back when it had all started, and this was now truer than ever.

Back then, he didn’t really know her, even though he had paid attention to her a lot. He had seen right through the act she had put on at school, but he could only catch small glimpses of her true personality. But now he knew her. Knew her favourite food and how she drank her coffee. Knew when it was best to shut up and when it was ok to tease her. He knew when she needed help or comfort even if she wasn’t saying it out loud.

And now that he knew almost everything about Lydia, he loved her even more.

When Lydia finally focused on his eyes, he could see that she was trying to say something, but nothing came out. Stiles’ heart broke in two, looking at the fragile girl.

“It’s ok. You don’t have to say anything. Just focus on staying awake, ok Lydia? Just focus on my voice!” Stiles tried to soothe her but Lydia seemed intent on telling him something. There was urgency in her eyes that Stiles had never seen on her before. He could see that she was getting frustrated with herself and desperation and the need to get it out were showing clearly in her eyes.

“Lydia, whatever it is you want to say, it can wait until you are better! I won’t leave your side, I promise!” Stiles reassured her, not sure what he was supposed to do to help her.

“I…” Lydia suddenly said and Stiles had never heard her voice sound this vulnerable.

“Shh, save your energy, Lydia!” Stiles instructed but she shook her head slightly, the movement so small that Stiles felt it more than saw it.

“I…” Lydia said again and her voice was even quieter than before. Stiles had no idea what was so important that she needed to get it out right now, instead of concentrating on staying awake.

Lydia took a deep breath and closed her eyes, finally getting it out while exhaling.

“I love you,” she said, before her head fell to the side.

For a few seconds, Stiles was frozen. His eyes were glued to the girl in front of him and his eyes were glistening with tears. He wiped at his eyes angrily and moved his hands over Lydia’s face softly but frantically. He pressed his finger to her neck, trying to find a pulse and for a second, he couldn’t find one. He refused to believe that she was dead, intent on finding her pulse. And then, he found it. It was faint, but it was there.

“Lydia, wake up! No, no, no! This is not how this works! You can’t just say something like that and then… No! Lydia, you need to wake up! I need you to wake up!” Stiles’ voice was full of desperation and he could hear Allison’s quiet sobs from the passenger seat, only now remembering that they were in the car with him. He met Scott’s gaze in the rear view mirror for a second.

“We’re almost there!” Scott said before Stiles turned his attention back to the unconscious girl.

“Did you hear that? We’re almost there. Just hold on for a little while longer, I know you can do it! You are the strongest person I know! We have been through so much, you can get through this. Melissa will get you all better as soon as we’re there and then you can wake up, so I can tell you I love you. Because I know that you know, but I’ve never actually said it. I’ve been wanting to for so long, but I didn’t think you wanted to hear it.”

Stiles knew that Scott and Allison could hear every single word he was saying, but he didn’t care. The whole world could hear what he had to say, if only Lydia would wake up.

Scott pulled into the hospital parking lot and Stiles gently placed Lydia’s head on his seat before jumping out, racing to her side of the car and carefully lifting her out. Melissa was already waiting for them and Stiles placed Lydia onto the gurney Melissa was holding onto. He didn’t want to leave her side but he knew he wouldn’t be allowed to go with her. He squeezed her hand before placing it next to her. He looked at her face, looking peaceful now that she was unconscious and couldn’t feel any pain.

“Stiles,” Melissa said quietly, placing a comforting hand onto his back.

Stiles looked at Melissa briefly, before turning back to Lydia. He bent down and placed a lingering kiss onto her forehead, before taking a step back and letting Melissa take her away. He didn’t take his eyes of her until they disappeared through a big double door, shielding them from Stiles’ view. He was still staring at the doors when he felt Scott’s hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of trance.

“She… she has to be ok! I can’t lose her!” Stiles said, desperation taking over his voice.

“My mum will take of care of her! She will be fine,” Scott said but Stiles didn’t miss the doubts that were lacing his voice and it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself as well. Scott put his arm around Allison who was still crying silent tears and the three of them made their way over to the waiting area that they were already so familiar with.

About an hour later Natalie rushed into the hospital, talking to Melissa quietly before joining them in the waiting area.

“Any news?” Allison asked hopeful but Natalie just shook her head and stared out of the window. Neither of them said another word until Melissa joined a few hours later. The look on her face didn’t give much room for hope.

“We stitched up all the wounds and Deaton gave her something to get her to wake up, but so far nothing has worked. She is still unconscious and the fact that we don’t know who or what did that to her makes it really hard to cure her,” Melissa admitted and wrapped Natalie up in a hug when she had started to cry.

“Can I see her?” Natalie asked and Melissa nodded.

“Yes, come with me,” she instructed. When Allison, Stiles and Scott moved to follow them, Melissa turned back around to them. “I’m sorry guys, but I can only allow close family for now. She is still unconscious anyway. Go home and get some rest. I will call you as soon as anything changes!”

Scott and Allison nodded, knowing that Lydia needed to rest and that there was nothing they could do for now but wait. Melissa led Natalie through the big double doors and Scott and Allison started walking towards the exit, but Stiles just sat back down in the waiting area.

“Stiles, come on. There is nothing we can do. And you need to get some sleep!” Scott said, walking over to Stiles. He looked up at Scott for a second and just shook his head. Even before he had asked, Scott had known that there was no way that Stiles would leave the hospital before he knew that Lydia was fine.

Scott took Allison’s hand and told Stiles to call him if there were any news and he just nodded. Once he was alone, he let his head fall into his hands. He had been trying to hold it together so Scott wouldn’t worry about him on top of his worries over Lydia, but now that he was alone, he dropped his act.

He buried his face in his hands, hating that there was nothing he could do but wait. This whole situation was completely out of his hands when he wanted nothing more than to help Lydia. He was scared out of his mind and refused to think about the possibility that he would never see her again. Lydia was tough and strong and she was going to wake up. Stiles repeated it in his head like a mantra, trying to stop his thoughts from wandering.

Minutes felt like hours and Stiles had no idea for how long he had been sitting there when Melissa saw him and walked over to him.

“Stiles,” she started but the boy interrupted her at once.

“I’m not leaving!” he said, speaking the first words since he had to let go of Lydia.

“I know, I was just going to make sure that you were holding up alright.” Melissa answered softly. Stiles looked at her and couldn’t find the right words. Being best friends with Scott since forever had somehow made Melissa like a second mother to Stiles. He loved and missed his mum and no one would ever be able to replace her, but Melissa had taken on that role without so much as a second thought.

She was like a second mum to almost every member of the pack and they couldn’t have made it this far without her. She always knew the right things to say and gave the best advice. And in this moment, Stiles was glad that she was there. When she saw him struggle to find the right words, she simply sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around him.

She held him tight and Stiles fought hard to keep the tears in that were threatening to fall. He held onto her as tightly as he could without hurting her.

“I know this is hard, honey, but I promise you that I will do everything I can, ok?” Melissa said comfortingly and Stiles nodded against her shoulder. He pulled back after about a minute, running his hands over his face tiredly. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was already 3pm. He had been sitting here for about ten hours already.

Melissa had to get back, working overtime to make sure she could look after Lydia, and Stiles couldn’t have been more grateful. The time went by even slower than before and he had hardly eaten anything. Melissa had brought him a sandwich earlier, but he had only taken a few bites. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about Lydia’s lifeless body.

The waiting area emptied as the visiting hours were over, but Stiles wouldn’t leave. Melissa had gone home about an hour ago, assuring him that Lydia would be fine without her and a nurse that she trusted very much was looking after her while she got some much needed sleep. Stiles had just nodded and thanked her before she left.

The longer Lydia was unconscious, the more desperate he became. He needed to see her, but Lydia was still only allowed visits from her family and visiting hours were over anyway. But Stiles couldn’t wait any longer. He had to see her to make sure that she was at least still breathing and her heart was still beating.

Since it was almost 9pm there were hardly any people around. There was a nurse behind the desk, but other than that the corridors were empty. Stiles walked over to the door quickly, slipping through it before the nurse could see him. Visitors weren’t allowed in the intensive care unit, but luckily no one noticed him. There were signs with the patients’ name on each door and Stiles made his made from one end of the corridor to the other, but not a single sign read Lydia Martin.

When Stiles had made it to the very last room, there was nothing written on the sign and he prayed to god that Lydia would be in there. It would make sense that there was no sign for Lydia, since they were trying to be discreet about her being there, because it would be impossible to explain those wounds.

Stiles took a deep breath before opening the door and slipping inside. He closed the door quietly behind himself, afraid to turn around and not find Lydia there. Bracing himself, he turned around slowly and relief washed over him as he spotted the strawberry blonde waves falling off the bed. He walked over the bed and pulled up a chair that was standing in a corner.

He sat as close to her as possible and took her hand in his. He played with her fingers and traced patterns onto her skin, silently praying for her to wake up. Stiles looked at Lydia’s pale face and his stomach dropped when he saw all the different tubes that were leaving her body.

“Lydia you have to come back to us. Please, I need you to wake up. I need you to disagree with me when we talk about homework and roll your eyes when I make stupid jokes. And you need to wake up for Scott and Allison and your mum. We need you, Lydia. And I know it’s probably hard, but if you can hear me please fight to come back to me. I want to talk to you about what you said and to find out where this can go! Please, just open your eyes and come back to me… Please…” Stiles’ voice broke at the end and he let go of Lydia’s hand for a second to run his hands over his face.

That’s when he heard a quiet whimper. At first he thought that maybe he had been the one who made that sound, but then he heard it again and this time he was sure that it was coming from the girl in front of him. Stiles took Lydia’s hand in his again and as soon as he touched her, the whimpering stopped.

“Lydia? Can you hear me? Lydia?” he asked, trying not to get his hopes up just yet. When she didn’t move, Stiles settled on just holding her hand for now. But as more and more time passed and Lydia didn’t make any more sounds, Stiles wasn’t so sure if she had made them in the first place, fearing that he had imagined them.

He let go of her hand, recreating the circumstances from before and sure enough, after a few seconds, Lydia let out soft noises of disapproval. He quickly put his hands back around hers and felt relief rush through him. At least she was responding to her environment… kind of… that must be progress!

Stiles debated if he should call Melissa about the new development but he didn’t feel like explaining why and how he had ended up in her room and he sure as hell didn’t want to get kicked out again, so he decided against it.

Sleep threatened to pull Stiles under but he was determined to stay awake and savour every moment until he would inevitably be kicked out in the morning. He started talking to Lydia again, both to stay awake and because he was finally able to tell her everything he had ever wanted to say to her but couldn’t.

He told her about how he had fallen in love with her on the playground when she had helped a little girl that had been bullied and how he always just kind of felt it whenever she was entering a room. He told her about the time he had to leave her when she had cried and why he hadn’t been able to come back, even though there had been nothing that he had wanted to do more. He talked about how figuring out the supernatural mysteries with her was his favourite thing to do and about everything else that came to his mind.

When he couldn’t think of anything else to say, he just sat there and looked at her for a while. He couldn’t believe how much they had been through and how many times he had been worried about her getting hurt. And now, when he hadn’t worried about her safety for once because he had thought her to be safe at Allison’s, she was closer to dying than ever before.

Thinking about a life without Lydia in it, Stiles couldn’t help but hold onto her hand tighter, as if trying to ground her to this earth. He brought a hand up to her face and stroked her hair gently, trying to distract himself from the dark thoughts that were threatening to consume him. When his hand touched her face, a small sigh escaped Lydia’s lips.

“Lydia?” Stiles asked once again and this time it was impossible for him not to get his hopes up. She could feel his touches, so she was probably somewhere in between unconsciousness and waking up. He stood up, stroking over her cheek deliberately, hoping that she would finally wake up. 

Small sounds escaped Lydia's lips and Stiles had never been this happy about hearing unintelligible words. He was sure that Lydia was actually trying to form words, but so far they were only small puffs of air being released from her lips. 

Stiles continued to caress her face, hoping that his touches would help her to wake up and pull her back to reality. 

"Sss!" Stiles was still not able to make anything of what Lydia was trying to say but it was sounding more like a word each time she tried. 

"Stiles!" Lydia finally said and his heart rate sped up. 

"I'm here! Just open your eyes and then you can see that I'm right here. I'm right here. Come on, open your eyes for me," Stiles encouraged her and when he saw her eyelids flutter, he was just about to burst from happiness and relief. 

"Yes, that's it! Open your eyes, Lydia." Stiles kept repeating it like a chant, encouraging Lydia and giving her something to focus on. 

Lydia's eyelids fluttered again and Stiles was sure they had opened a tiny bit for a fraction of a second before they closed once more. But Lydia wasn't giving up and eventually she managed to open her eyes fully. 

Thankfully, the room was quite dark, but her eyes still needed time to adjust to the little light illuminating the room. Stiles watched her carefully, still holding onto her face gently. He was sure that all of his feelings were showing in his eyes but he had nothing to hide from Lydia anyway. Stiles had always known that he loved her, but almost losing her had shown him just how deep his love for her went. 

Lydia was having trouble focusing her eyes on him, but the second she succeeded, Stiles felt his heart skip several beats from relief. Lydia closed her eyes again for a few seconds, before opening them again and looking straight into Stiles' eyes. 

"Stiles!" Lydia breathed out again and her voice sounded just like the last time he had heard her speak. Stiles was overwhelmed by his emotions and his mind went back to the last words she had been so desperate to get out before falling unconscious. And then he just couldn't stop himself. 

He leaned down and gently captured her lips with his, lingered for a few seconds before pulling away again. Lydia hadn't exactly reciprocated but given her current health state that wasn't surprising. Lydia had closed her eyes during the kiss and when she opened them again they were shining with so many different emotions and unshed tears. 

"Sorry, I just had to do that," Stiles said when he had gained the control over his voice back. 

"You don't have to apologise!" Lydia whispered, the effort it was taking her to speak still obvious, but she seemed to be getting better by the second. She blushed and smiled shyly up at him. 

He was staring at her in awe, not believing that she was actually approving of him kissing her. He couldn't contain his grin and held on to her hand again, not knowing what else to do. 

"Ok, so I should call Melissa and Scott and Allison and your mum! They will all be so happy that you woke up! Everyone has been so worried about you! Oh, and maybe I should call Deaton, too, so he can make sure that..." Stiles rambled but stopped when Lydia squeezed his hand, trying to get his attention. 

"Actually...," she said slowly, blushing again even before she got it out, "could you not call them right now? I'm really tired and they would all come here and you know..." 

"Of course! Yeah, they are all worried about you, but we can wait!" Stiles answered, sad that she wanted to go back to sleep when he had only just gotten her back. "But you're right, you should rest! Sorry, I will be back first thing in the morning!" He smiled at her and leaned down to place a sweet kiss onto her forehead. 

Stiles walked towards the door reluctantly, not wanting to be away from Lydia. But he knew that she needed to rest and so he would respect that and wait until she woke up. His hand was already resting on the door handle when he heard her voice again. 

"Stiles?" She asked timidly and Stiles turned to face her again. "Um... I was thinking, if you wanted to, you could, you know, stay here with me?" She asked hopeful and Stiles’ heart swelled. 

"Of course!" Stiles replied immediately and walked back towards her, sitting down in the chair that he had been in before. Lydia looked at him and he could see that she was debating whether or not to say something else. 

"What is it?" He asked affectionately. 

"You can't be comfortable in that chair!" Lydia stated more than asked. 

"It's fine! I want to stay with you and this the only place to sit." Stiles explained, not sure where she was going with this. 

"Well, there is one other place you could sit." Lydia said, not meeting his eyes and Stiles was completely oblivious to what she was getting at. "or lie...," she added when she saw his confusion. 

Although Stiles was usually quick to understand, it took him several moments to comprehend what she was insinuating. Lydia could pinpoint the exact moment her suggestion sunk in and it only took him a few seconds before he stood up and carefully joined her on the bed. 

She scooted over and lifted her blanket so he could get comfortably next to her. The bed wasn't made for two people, so they were lying with their shoulders pressed together and Lydia loved being this close to Stiles. Neither of them dared to move at first, but after being in this rather uncomfortable position for a while, Stiles decided to be bold. 

He pulled his arm up and Lydia fell into his side a little before he placed it around her. She scooted closer to him until there was no air left between them and he pulled her even closer. Lydia let out a contend sigh without meaning to and Stiles chuckled lightly and pressed a kiss to her temple. 

Lydia turned her head up to look at him and there were only a few centimetres between their lips but neither of them closed the distance. 

"If you wanted to kiss me again, I wouldn't entirely object," Lydia whispered when Stiles didn't make a move. 

"Is that so?" Stiles asked chuckling again. 

"Yes!" Lydia answered unabashedly. 

Stiles shook his head disbelievingly before closing the distance and kissing Lydia gently. He knew that she was still a little fragile and didn't want to go too far, but Lydia wasn't having any of it. She deepened the kiss, pulling away for air every once in a while but always connecting their lips together again. Stiles let her take control of the kiss and happily reciprocated. 

He still couldn't believe that this was really happening, but it seemed like he had to get used to it, not that he was complaining! 

"I meant what I said before," Lydia suddenly said when she pulled away from him. "I love you!" She repeated the words to him and Stiles had a heart time keeping his heart from having a heart attack right then and there. She had said it so naturally, as if she had already said it to him a thousand times and Stiles prayed that she would say them to him over and over again in the years to come.

All of his feelings for her were on his sleeves and judging by the look on her face she could see every single one of them in his eyes.

"I love you too!" Stiles said and he had never been more certain of anything else in his life. 

He kissed her one last time before she snuggled into him and they both fell into a comfortable sleep. And when Melissa found them wrapped up in each other the next morning, she couldn’t help the huge smile that spread across her face, deciding that she would give them a few more hours before the others would get to see Lydia. She had always rooted for them, especially for Stiles' sake and she was infinitely happy for the boy who was like a second son to her and the girl who would finally be loved the way she deserved.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments are very much appreciated :)


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